


Emergency ... Code Red

by soniabigcheese



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-10
Packaged: 2020-04-23 21:25:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19159285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soniabigcheese/pseuds/soniabigcheese
Summary: Gordon is down, everyone is alerted and this is Lady Penelope's version of events





	Emergency ... Code Red

**Author's Note:**

> Set around the events of SOS Parts 1 and 2. For anyone who hasn't seen the episode, I suggest not reading this because ... poor Squidboy. Not all characters are featured here

Sherbet yipped loudly.

“No Bertie not today.”

The little pug whined and tugged at Parker's trouser leg.

"No Sherbert," he responded gruffly, "now's not the time."

His walk will have to wait. There was a much more pressing matter to deal with. They'd received the call that Gordon was down and needed rescuing. Hopping into the car, Penelope kept the comms open, hoping for better news and constant updates. She hoped she wasn't being a nuisance with Grandma Tracy by bugging her all the time, but she really needed to know.

Just a few hours earlier, he'd been to their home ... in a 'borrowed' Thunderbird One and stinking to high heaven. But now, he was trapped ... on his own .. in deep water. He'd triggered his own emergency code ... then everything had fallen silent. John had patched through to everyone, including her, and despite his professional manner, she couldn't help picking up a slight tremor in his voice.

That's what had alerted her immediately.

Gordon's last co-ordinates had been sent across as they soared through the air.

Why oh why did he go alone for this one?  
Why didn't he get back-up?

As always, Parker's presence grounded her as she asked him ... for the umpteenth time ... about the scuba equipment in the boot of FAB 1. And, as patiently as he could muster, he would calmly respond with the entire checklist. 

"H'everything h'is h'in working h'order Milady, I checked em meself."  
"Air tanks full?"  
"Yes ... Milady."  
"No rips or tears in the fabric?"  
"No Milady, Master Brains 'as made sure of that."  
"But ..."  
'H'I'm certain that h'it is also fireproof, Milady. You know Master Brains, 'e h'always factors in a lot h'of safety measures h'into h'everything."

A dark shadow alerted them to the arrival of Thunderbird Two. They must be getting close as through the open comms, they could hear Kayo and Captain Rigby passing info back and forth. They were doing their best to catch the Chaos Crew ... and keep them away from the area. This was the one and only time that they didn't need any more complications added to the mix.

Parker wasn't sure just how much of their own conversation had been heard, but he suspected that they knew ... and had kept silent.  
Good.

More instructions passed back and forth as they reached their destination.

"Prepare yourself Milady."  
"Yes, Parker."

That one statement said pretty much everything. To get herself changed into her scuba suit ... and to brace herself for what she might see once she got down there.

With a push of a button, FAB 1 nosedived straight into the water, at the same time the seat tilted backwards and she found herself in a deceptively large area that to the outside world, looked like the boot of any Rolls Royce. But this one had a waterproof chamber/decompression tank. This pink car practically had everything. 

Getting into the scuba suit should have been easy, but she found the process fiddly and disconcerting. It may have taken only minutes … but far too long for her liking. But finally, after much tugging, pulling and muttering unladylike oaths under her breath, she was ready. The hatch slid open and she dropped down into the murky depths. At first, it was hard to see, but, after her eyes adjusted and the lights came on, that's when she saw it ...

... the crippled mess that was Thunderbird Four, buried underneath a lava funnel. And through the cracked reinforced glass, she saw him. 

"Oh, Gordon."

They had to be quick, as despite Parker assuring her that her scuba suit was flameproof, she could feel the heat prickling at her skin. 

As soon as the large rock mass was lifted, she got to work, the wrist laser cutting through the casing of the cobwebbed toughened glass. Inside, Gordon never moved, his eyelids barely flickered. She was glad he'd had the good sense to put his helmet on. That had given him some time, but she wasn't sure just how much oxygen was in his tanks. Or how long he'd been down here.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon."

She could have kicked the glass inwards, but that would have made access to Gordon, a bit more complicated. So she grabbed the sharp edges and pulled. Yes, she was risking puncturing her suit, just a small tear would put even herself into deep trouble. But everyone else was busy, and they were relying on her to get him out. 

With a heave - the pressure of the water didn't help much either - she managed to tug the glass free, and swam inside.

On close inspection, she noted that he was laid at a strange angle, but that wasn't important. Her priority was to get him out of the water asap. She tugged at his limp body, it didn’t come away easily so she pulled harder and felt a pop. Damn, his shoulder had dislocated.

"Shit!"

Ah crap, she can deal with that later. Getting Gordon out of the water and treated was imperative.

"I've got him."

His body dangled as she struggled to get to FAB 1, the hatch and decompression chamber seemed a bit too small to fit both of them in, but she managed. And now, as FAB 1 was docking into the waiting module, she clung onto him, gently stroking his hair and whispering all kinds of nonsense, hoping that he would respond. She hadn't even noticed that she was still in her scuba suit. There wasn't any time.

The door lifted open and she blinked at the bright light, and was aware of a stretcher being slid underneath Gordon and his weight being lifted from her knees. In a way she was relieved because she had started getting pins and needles, but then a slight panic because she didn't want to leave his side....

...ever ...

But these are his brothers. He needed to be with them.

She blinked rapidly when Virgil's decision to return home was overridden by their grandmother telling him that he needed a hospital ... STAT.

It made sense really. Because who knows what sort of damage had been caused?  
Sure, they had a first aid facility. But you can't beat a hospital with top of the range medical equipment.  
They just hoped and prayed that the nearest one had all those facilities.  
There hadn't been time to check, as John had already punched in coordinates to the nearest hospital and had handed control of Thunderbird Five onto EOS whilst he was in the space elevator, heading Earthward.

The staff were amazing as they waited at the helipad for Thunderbird Two to arrive. Some had looks of surprise on their faces, others were concerned that a member of International Rescue had been seriously injured. But they moved as fast as possible, bypassing everyone in A&E, cutting off Gordon's suit as they went, in order to gain more access to his body.

Up until then ... Penny had held up. It was mainly shock and a course of adrenaline running through her veins. But the minute the doors closed and they were all left standing there, that's when she broke.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."  
"For what?"  
"You did great."

She looked at them tearfully and sniffed, Parker instantly produced a tissue ... for such occasions and she took it gratefully, wiping her eyes and delicately blowing her nose.

"I might have dislocated his shoulder," she admitted.

They all stared at the door and the muffled sounds behind it.

"That's probably the least of his problems," Scott responded bitterly.

Virgil and Alan exchanged knowing looks. This meant just one thing. Scott was royally pissed.  
The Chaos Crew ... and the Hood ... had hurt one of their brothers.  
And he was out to get them.

A nurse appeared, they all tensed, waiting for the worst.

"We need to get him to the MRI for a brain scan, his oxygen levels were low, he has sustained a few broken bones and a dislocated shoulder, but our priority is to make sure he hasn't had a bleed on his brain. We'll keep you all updated.


End file.
